Long Melford church closed after wood panel falls from height
"We are very sorry to report that the main body of the church is temporarily closed whilst a safety inspection is carried out," the church said on its website. "A wooden plinth fell from a considerable height and we cannot open the main body of the church until all the high woodwork has been physically checked. "We know many people have planned to visit Holy Trinity when visiting Suffolk and are so sorry we cannot share all of our wonderful church with you."The church thanked people for their understanding.Holy Trinity Church has been approached for comment.
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BBC News
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- BBC News
Holy Trinity: The church that survived the Coventry Blitz
On the night of the Coventry Blitz on 14 November 1940, 550 German Luftwaffe rained down 30,000 incendiary devices on the city over an 11-hour buildings in the city centre were destroyed, including the cathedral, but the Holy Trinity Church survived, and that was in large thanks to Reverend Graham Clitheroe, the church's vicar at the and two others, including his curate and one of his sons, defended the church and stopped it from going up in flames - even pushing bombs off the church roof to stop further to their actions, the church lived on to be one of Coventry's landmark three spires, offering stunning views of the city skyline. The church already had a long history before that fateful night - with the first known reference to it in original Norman church was destroyed by a fire in 1257, and was rebuilt entirely during the 14th tower was rebuilt in about 1650, with the spire built later in the 17th 237ft (72.2m) high, it is one of the tallest non-cathedral spires in the UK. To get to the tower and spire, there is a fair bit of climbing to enter by some worn stone steps, leading to a wooden door. Behind this, you are met with another spiral staircase that leads to the one point, the staircase splits - one section continuing up into the sky, while the other leads onto the lower up, you enter a bell room. "This is a floor that was laid when Gilbert Scott - an architect in the 1850s - renovated the whole of the inside of Holy Trinity Church," said Bill Johnson, the buildings bell ringers would have rung the bells at a lower level than the current bell room."The tower supports the spire, but it was decided when Scott was doing the renovations that these huge bells would make the tower and the spire too unstable," said Mr Johnson."So, Gilbert Scott took the bells out, and arranged for a wooden structure to be built just on the other side of the church called a campanile."The bells were hung in this structure and could be rung from the campanile… at ground level." Continuing up the steps towards the spire, they are far less worn - because it was a route that was not well travelled."It was only [for] the issue of maintenance – gutter clearing, whatever might be necessary," said Mr the base of the spire, he said: "We can look right up inside because it's hollow, and we can see right up to the very top."Listen: Climbing the tower of Coventry's Holy Trinity ChurchAs you glance up, you can see steel ladders, which, although mostly used for maintenance purposes, did have an intended second use."There was a chance we might get a peregrine falcon nesting here... on the first set of windows down from the spire, there's a falcon scrape which is a nest for the peregrine falcon," he said."So we installed that, we installed a camera with it, but the ungrateful falcons went to nest in St Michael's next door." Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Troon locals want to buy historic church to keep 'sanctuary' alive
An Ayrshire community is facing a race against time to stop a historic church in their area falling into in Troon want to purchase Troon Old Parish Church from the Church of Scotland - but the B-listed building has a £200,000 price tag attached to community group were only granted exclusive rights to buy it from May until September, and members have told BBC Scotland News they are concerned that a building that has hosted baptisms, weddings and celebrations for more than 100 years will become an purchase plan comes as the Church has been accused of not offering enough support to local communities wanting to take over properties it is selling. Maureen Leonard and Rachel Tribble are both members of the Troon Development Trust, a local group dedicated to boosting the seaside meet the BBC on a warm, sunny day, with the beachfront filled with families enjoying the last of the school summer church is only yards from the hubbub of noise, located in the heart of the town - and Rachel believes it has been equally central to people's lives."When we had an event about a month ago, more than one person said they were baptised there, they were married there and that this was their church," she said. "It's part of the thread that weaves through people's lives. If it started to deteriorate or be boarded up that would be sad to see." Both Maureen and Rachel feel creating a community space would not only keep the building in use, but also keep alive memories for many of the town's residents. "I think a lot of people are worried we're going to tear up the sanctuary, " says Rachel. "We want to keep it almost as is – the architecture, the stained glass windows and the history." The development trust has ambitious plans for the site, from hosting martial arts classes to art workshops. An evening café and local heritage centre are also the financial costs are 2019 the Church of Scotland's three parishes in Troon announced plans to merge into one, a move that would see one of their properties no longer Old Parish, which dates back to 1894, was selected for closure, and the development trust expressed interest in taking it granted exclusive rights to secure a transfer of the building, the trust were only given about four months to stump up £200,000, with a deadline of 30 September.A number of churches across the country are facing closure as the Church of Scotland looks to reduce its property portfolio. Maureen believes if the property reaches the open market it is unlikely developers would move on it, given costs associated with repairs and re-development - costs the community trust could cover via various heritage funding and charitable grants. "What you're talking about is a building in the centre of the town, that could go to rack and ruin," she says."What we don't want is a repeat of the Station Hotel in Ayr, which could very well happen." "We're in an almost catch 22 situation," Rachel says."If we had the lease there would be so much more we can do with getting funding to repair the building. But we cannot find a funder to buy the building itself, and £200,000 cannot be funded simply through donations and events."Rachel moved to Troon with her husband just under 15 years ago. Initially they used it as a commuter town, but the rise of home working led her to become more involved in the local area, and from there, involvement in the struggle to keep the church within community hands. "If this was last year, we would have applied to the Scottish Land Fund for up to 80% of the purchase price," she says."However because there are Scottish elections next year the deadline is earlier than usual for the coming year. By the time we learned we had exclusivity, we had passed the date for entering it." Both Maureen and Rachel say dealings with the church have been amicable, and hope an extension for their funding bid will be all communities have been as content.A community trust in Arisaig in the Highlands failed to buy a church with an asking price of £135,000, after being denied extra time to raise money. It then went to the highest Braemar Kirk in Aberdeenshire was bought by the owners of a boutique hotel, despite the local kirk session favouring another bid that would have retained the building for Chalmers, a development manager at Community Land Scotland, said the group understands the church's need to maximise she added: "These buildings are significant community assets, maintained for many generations by these communities."We are concerned that the Church of Scotland is looking at short-term financial returns and not considering the damage it may do to its own legacy or the impact upon the culture and heritage of the many communities around Scotland who have a close relationship to their kirks and other church buildings." 'Significant strain' on congregations A spokesperson for the Church of Scotland said it had a "strong track record of engaging with community groups" but the general trustees were under a legal obligation to secure the best added that the congregation had to bear the costs of maintaining a building while it was not in use."Delays to the sales process place a significant financial and human resource strain on local congregations until they are sold, therefore sometimes it is not possible to extend periods of exclusivity," the spokesperson added that the general trustees of the kirk were having positive discussions with the development trust and that "we hope that the trust is successful in meeting its fundraising target in the near future and a positive outcome for both parties is secured."
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
How common are wild wallabies in Suffolk and Norfolk?
Suffolk and Norfolk residents have been captivated this week after a small wallaby was spotted on the border near Bungay, as well as in Halesworth. While the species is not native to the UK, and it is not clear where it has come from, there are some wild colonies across the country. So just how many could there be in Suffolk and Norfolk? Where do wallabies come from? Wallabies are primarily found in Australia and nearby islands, and are members of the Macropod family along with are typically small to medium-sized and have powerful hind legs that they use to bound along at high speeds and jump diet typically consists of grass, herbs, roots, tree leaves, and other foliage. Why are there wallabies in the UK? A research paper in 2020 by Holly M. English of University College Dublin and Anthony Caravaggi of the University of South Wales looked into wallabies in the believed wallabies were likely first brought to the UK for zoos as well as for private collections in the late 19th then, it is believed that during the World Wars, some were released into the countryside as people were unable to look after of those wallabies that were released went on to form a population in the Peak District; however, they slowly died out over the years. Are there any large populations left in the UK? There is a large population of wallabies living on the Isle of Man. It is thought there are likely up to 1,000 of them living in an area of the isle called the Ballaugh is believed they were brought to a wildlife zoo in 1965 before some managed to escape and went on to breed. Surveys in 2023 and 2024 revealed the huge numbers living in the area with the use of thermal-imaging cameras. The study found there was a strong correlation with wallaby presence being linked to "cover of some sort", primarily woodland. Can wallabies survive in the wild? Helen Pearson, head of animal studies at Suffolk Rural, which has its own wallabies, said they could survive "quite well" in the UK."They all come from Australia," she explained."They live in shrubland out there, so as much as you think Australia is quite hot, they cope quite well in our climate. They're really hardy animals."I know that on the Isle of Man, there is a wild population of wallabies because of how well they can survive."Unfortunately, it does make them an invasive species because they are not native to here."While the animals are non-indigenous to the UK, it is unknown the impact they could be having on native animal and plant life, according to the 2020 research paper. Where could this wallaby have come from? It is currently unknown just where the wallaby on the Suffolk and Norfolk border has come from."This one in particular in Suffolk, at one point it would have been in captivity, but I obviously don't know how long ago or if it's just escaped, or if it's been there for a long time," Ms Pearson said."My guess, if you've only just seen it, then it's just escaped, but I don't know where from."Mr Pearson believed the wallaby was of the same kind as the ones at the college, a red-necked wallaby also known as a Bennett's wallaby. Have there been any other sightings in the area? Ms Pearson said she had not heard of any wild wallaby sightings in Suffolk the 2020 research paper mapped sightings of wallabies across the UK, and it found 95 confirmed sightings between 2008 and 2018, most of which were in the south of England. There were also 64 media reports of sightings during that time. A map of their findings suggested there had been some sightings in both Norfolk and Suffolk over the years, as well as in nearby Essex, but exact locations were not mentioned. While this is the first reported wallaby sighting in some time, there were other wallaby sightings near Halstead in Essex in 2018, as well as in Glemsford in the time, it was believed they had escaped the year prior from a travelling carnival. There was also a captive wallaby named Sheila that escaped her home in Norwich in 2023, but she was later found. Is it illegal to release wallabies into the wild? It is considered illegal to release a wallaby into the wild under the Wildlife and Countryside Act is because they are not native to the UK, and the Act protects wild animals and plants in the caught doing this could face imprisonment or a fine. What should you do if you spot the wallaby? Ms Pearson offered advice to anyone who sees the wallaby again."Try and, if possible, keep eyes on it from a distance if you can because as soon as you lose sight of it, it could be another week until someone sees it," she said."Out there in the woodlands, fields and things, it could very easily disappear quite quickly."I used to be a zookeeper, and when things like this happen, you want to know that someone can see it at all times."Keep eyes and ring maybe the RSPCA or local vet, and hopefully they can assemble a team."I wouldn't approach it; they've got a really big kick on them, which could cause you some injuries, so it's best to leave it alone." Suffolk Police also encouraged anyone who saw it to contact them. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
